A Symbol of Our Future
by CrazyJan57
Summary: Victoria and Zorro question the rash marriage proposal. Was it a mistake? Based on NW Zorro.
1. Chapter 1

**A SYMBOL OF OUR FUTURE**

Disclaimer - I don't own the rights, Zorro Production Inc does - I just like to play with the characters.

Plot - Both Victoria and Zorro question the rash marriage proposal. Was it a mistake?

This started as a one shot for Victoria but then Zorro wanted his own chapter and then I had to do a third one to finish up.

* * *

Chapter 1

It was three days after Zorro had proposed marriage to her when the euphoria of the unexpected engagement had all but died down to a low throb of joy in her heart and it was now that the doubts began to creep into her mind; doubts not over her love for him, for she knew that her love for the masked man was strong but her doubts were over the entire situation that they had found themselves in. Doubts that she had done the right thing, doubts that he truly loved her, no matter what he told her, no matter that he gave her his mother's ring and she now felt such an unease that she began to question his motives as well as her own in accepting his offer of marriage when she had no idea of who he really was.

It had been all too sudden, too unexpected and considering that she had been under the influence of that horrible tasting cactus tea at the time, the proposal was all too hazy to her; almost like a dream. And yet as she gazed down at the ring in her hand, the reality was true; he HAD asked her to marry him and she HAD accepted his proposal by taking his token of love; a symbol of their future, as he called his mother's ring.

She knew the reason for her doubts was due to one thing and one thing only; he had not removed his mask. To her mind that meant that he didn't trust her enough to share his life, to share his secret and that made her doubt his love for her; a love that may never come to pass for how could they ever marry if he never removed his mask. He had, on a number of occasions, told her that he would only unmask once the injustice of their Alcalde had stopped but there was no guarantee that de Soto would ever change or if he did, how long would it take; months, years, ten more years? And then where would be they? She feared that she would be too old to have children by the time he was able to unmask and she so desperately wanted children.

What she fully didn't understand was his fear that she didn't love him, that she only loved the hero and those words kept going around and around in her mind until she ended up with a headache. She needed to speak with someone about it, someone who wouldn't judge her but would help her to understand or at least try to understand, not just Zorro's fears but the whole mess they were in.

Which was why she was currently sitting on the third row bench in the mission chapel; she was hoping to make sense of everything.

Padre Benitez entered the chapel from the side door and was surprised to see Senorita Escalante sitting forlornly on a bench; it wasn't often that he saw her in the mission. "Senorita Escalante," he said as made his way over to her, "Is everything alright, my child?"

At hearing the Padre's voice, Victoria immediately clinched her hand around the ring and silently cursed herself for bringing it with her. She looked up at just as he sat down beside her, "I don't know what to do, padre." she replied.

"Can you tell me what is troubling you?" he asked as he settled comfortably on the bench.

She sighed as she lowered her gaze, "You know of my wish to have a family of my own," she paused as the padre nodded, "Well, that wish is coming closer but at the same time it's further away than ever."

Padre Benitez cocked his head to one side, "Has something happened between you and Zorro?" he asked.

She nodded, "Zorro asked me to marry him and I accepted but..." she stopped as tightened her hand around the ring to reassure her that his proposal wasn't a dream.

He was surprised by the marriage proposal; he hadn't realised that their relationship had gone that far and he hoped that Zorro had not brought dishonour upon the Senorita, "You accepted but what Senorita?" he urged her.

"Oh padre, he still refuses to unmask to me." she all but sobbed.

Father Benitez sat up straight, "Are you telling me, my child, that when Zorro asked you to marry, he didn't remove his mask?" he asked with a frown on his face. He would definitely have to have a talk with that man about his behaviour, he thought to himself.

She nodded, "I tried urge him to tell me who he was but he wouldn't."

"And yet you still accepted his offer?" he said worriedly; what a mess these two were causing to each other.

"I know how it sounds, padre, but I love him and he loves me." she replied to his unasked question.

"But not enough to remove his mask, it seems," he said as he took a deep breath. "Did he say why he would not do this for you?"

She nodded as she twisted the material of her skirts with her free hand, "He said...he said that he is afraid...of me. Afraid that I only love the hero and that if he removed his mask that I would still love Zorro and not the man." she replied as she turned to face the older man. "I tried to tell him that I love him, that the courage he has as Zorro is also his. He was going to remove his mask but then he changed his mind. Oh padre, I know he loves me but I just don't understand why he doesn't want us to be together."

Padre Benitez nodded slowly as he gathered his thoughts, "What is it about Zorro that you love?" he asked.

She closed her eyes and thought for a moment before answering, "His courage and bravery, his willingness to risk his own life, his loyalty to our people, his compassion for others." she replied.

He nodded, "Of course, we all admire Zorro for those qualities but what is it about this man that has your heart?" he asked her as he began to see why Zorro may have doubts about her.

She frowned, "Well, I like him, I'm...well...um...attracted to him." she replied as she felt her cheeks reddened at such talk.

He smiled, "Yes of course you are but you don't know anything about him, he could be a monster under that mask."

Victoria shook her head, "No, he isn't a monster. I know in my heart that his bravery and compassion are in him, with or without the mask."

"Then why does he have this fear?" he asked softly, "You said that he fears that you would only love the hero not the man."

"That's what I don't understand, padre. I love him no matter who he is. Why can't he see that?" she asked in confusion.

Padre Benitez sighed as he reached out and gently touched her arm, "My child, a man's fears is not something you can understand without first understanding where it comes from."

She nodded, "He does doubt my love for him, he all but admitted that but what have I done to make him think that?"

He was pleased that she was starting to see beyond the love to the more intangible matters of fear and doubt. "Do you think he wears the mask all the time?" he asked.

She looked up in surprise and wondered why the good padre would change the subject like that, "Of course not, he would have a life of his own, a different life..." she stopped as she suddenly realised what she had said. "Madre de dios," she muttered, "It's in this other life that he feels that...I...I." she stopped, not wanting to say it.

"He feels what, my child?" he urged her to speak of it openly.

She closed her eyes against the hot tears that welled in her eyes, "He feels that I...I don't...like him, let alone love him. It's this that he fears, isn't it? That I don't love this other...part of him." she said as her voice wavered. "But why, how?" She shook her head in confusion.

"The Zorro you know is only one part of the man. You only see the courageous side, the compassionate side of him but Zorro, like every other man, has many different sides. He can be angry or pleased, he can be happy or sad. He may need to feel active and adventurous but he would also need time for peace and quiet, he might even like to read a book instead of picking up a sword."

She nodded as she slowly digested his words, "And it's this other...side of him that he feels I don't like? But why would he think that? Unless...unless I have said something to him that made him think like that." She turned once more to the padre and this time she couldn't stop the tears from flowing. "I've hurt him, I've hurt him terribly and I didn't realise. Oh padre, I would never hurt him, I love him."

Padre Benitez nodded as he held her hand in comfort, "I know you do, my child. Sometimes we unintentionally hurt the ones we love but it doesn't lessen the pain." he said.

Victoria nodded as she wiped her tears away, "What should I do? How can I stop hurting him when I don't know what I've said? I don't even know who he is."

"My child, you already know who he is, you just need to look into your mind and not your heart. Once you know, only then can you heal the pain." The good padre said as he patted her hand before he stood up and quietly walked away.

She frowned in confusion at his words; that she already knew the identity of Zorro and that all she had to do was to look into her mind. She opened her hand that held her ring; her palm red where the stone had dug into her skin and tried to make sense of her conversation with the padre as well as what Zorro had told her before he proposed to her. She let out a long slow breath as she gathered her thoughts; she knew that Zorro doubted her love for the entire man and not just what he appeared to be and those doubts came from something that she had said to him, something that could not have been a single occurrence but something she had done over the years and had continued to do so. She felt tears in her eyes once more at the pain she must have caused him from her words; words that she would not have said if she had only had known who he was.

She slowly let out another long breath as she realised that she had to know Zorro, had to know him very well for her to make comments against him. But who was Zorro? The padre told her that she knew who he was but surely she would have realised it long before this. Or had she and somehow didn't want to believe who it was because he didn't measure up to her views of what a man should be but that meant that she saw him as something less of a man. Who was it that she treated like that, who was it that she wanted to be more of a man than what he was.

"Madre de dios," she muttered as she felt her chest constrict with pain as an image of a man floated before her eyes, "Diego! Oh god I've always compared him with Zorro, that he should be more like him." She closed her eyes against the image of Zorro and Diego merging together to form one complete man but her mind wouldn't let it go away. She remembered how she spoke of his love of books and sciences, of being a peaceful man instead a man of action and so many other things. She thought she was teasing him, wanting to see what passion, if any, lay beneath his calm exterior but what if he misunderstood her teasing for criticism? No wonder he doubted her love.

She opened her eyes and gazed down at the ring in her hand, "Forgive me Diego." she said softly, "I never meant to hurt you but I will make it up to you. I will show you that I do love you, that I do respect all sides of you. I will restore your faith in me, in our love for each other."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Zorro stood hidden within the dimly lit mission chapel, unsure of why he had come at such a late time; it was close to midnight and he should have been in bed long ago. In fact, he had tried sleep but it had eluded him and he felt a strange compulsion to come to the mission, perhaps to ease the uncertainty in his heart that he felt over his impulsive marriage proposal to Victoria. It had been one of the most impulsive things he had even done without thinking about the consequences, the only other time was when he had proposed to Zafira all those years ago; that too had been a sudden decision and look how that turned out, he mused to himself. Was that why he was feeling uneasy about his proposal to Victoria? Was it because of the way his relationship with Zafira had ended; that he didn't want it to happen with Victoria.

He shook his head in disgust; he was trying to create excuses to hide the truth. His relationship with Victoria is very different from what he had with Zafira. With Zafira, it had been a more innocent love, a more youthful love than what he had now. Now, it was full of complications such as a rather large secret between them as well as the ongoing fight against injustice; a fight that may never end. Then there was his physical frustration of not being able to act on his love for Victoria as well as the mental torment of her only loving one side of him and yet detesting everything else he was.

And yet he still proposed marriage to her. Was he that desperate that he would take her knowing that she only cared for a part of him? What kind of marriage would that be? Not that he could have a marriage with her without unmasking first; he wasn't some brigand who would take her to his bed with the mask on, his upbringing wouldn't allow him such liberties without the guilt and shame he would definitely feel afterwards. He would have to unmask and that was simply too dangerous for everyone concerned.

Why on earth did he rush into this proposal when it was meaningless to them both? It wasn't as though they could really marry; those bandits outside his cave, threatening harm to her, made him realise that he could never tell her for her own protection. He wasn't doing either of them any good by wasting years for a dream that could never come true; he knew that she wanted marriage and children but only with Zorro, not with his other self and yet he selfishly kept her at his side and made promises that he couldn't keep. He sighed and shook his head; he should never have started flirting with her, he should never have raised her hopes of having something more than what he could actually give her.

"Senor Zorro, is there something I can help you with?" Padre Benitez's voice came from behind him.

Zorro jumped at the unexpected voice, he was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the older man come enter; he was lucky it was only the priest and not the Alcalde or his lancers. He turned and gave a small smile, "I had trouble sleeping, padre, I hope you I didn't wake you." he said apologetically as he took in the sleeping robes of the other man.

Father Benitez smiled warmly and shook his head, "I was just working on my sermon for next Mass and I found that I needed a break. I must say, Zorro, I don't often see you here in the chapel. Is there something I can help you with?" he asked.

Zorro closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again, "I think I need some counsel, padre." he replied quietly.

The padre nodded; he had been expecting this, especially after today's visit by Senorita Escalante, "Please have a seat, my son." he offered as he gestured to the nearest bench.

Zorro sighed and crossed over to the front bench and sat down, being careful of his sword while the padre sat beside him.

There was silence between the two men as the padre allowed the masked bandit time to gather his thoughts; he would not rush the younger man.

Zorro pulled himself together and spoke, "Padre, you know of my high regard for Vic... for Senorita Escalante."

Padre Benitez nodded, "Of course, everyone knows of your regard for her."

"Well, what no one knows is that three days ago, I asked her to be...my wife."

"I see," the good padre said calmly, "And was her answer not to your liking?" he asked.

Zorro shook his head, "Not at all, she agreed but now...I...I think I've done the wrong thing."

The older man gazed intently at the masked man beside him. "Why do you believe that, my son, surely she could not have displeased by who you are, if as you said, she accepted your proposal." he said, knowing full well that he had not unmasked for the senorita but he wanted Zorro to confirm it himself and to tell him the reason.

Zorro hung his head, "I didn't unmask for her." he confirmed somewhat guiltily before he glanced up and saw the disapproval in the priest's eyes, "I know what you are thinking padre, that I am a cad, a coward for not removing my mask, especially at a such a time when proposing marriage to the woman I love."

Father Benitez wisely kept his thoughts of Zorro's behaviour to himself, "Why didn't you unmask? You must know how she feels about you."

The younger man sighed as he leant forward and rested his arms on his knees, "She only loves the legend, this myth that I created." he replied with frustration in his voice, "She doesn't even like me, the one under the mask. How can she love me when she only likes this." he gestured to his black clothes and sword.

"My son, you do the senorita a disservice." Father Benitez said.

Zorro shook his head, "I don't think so, she's made it abundantly clear how she feels about my real self."

The padre held back a sigh, "Have you ever given her a chance to know your real self?" he asked.

Zorro frowned, "I beg your pardon?" he asked, confused.

"All you have ever shown her is this legend, this myth. You have never shown her your real side, so how would she know who you are? From her point of view, she sees two men; one of them she loves and the other she treats like a brother." the padre said.

At hearing the padre comparison of Victoria's love for his other self was like that of a brother, Zorro sat up and his eyes flew to the older man, trying to gauge if the other man knew that for certain or whether it had been an innocent comment but all he saw was calm and serenity in the priest's face; perhaps it was just an innocent remark after all, he mused. He took a long breath and slowly let it out, "Yes, I can see how she would think that but I had to do that in order to protect her." he said.

"Protect her from what exactly?" the padre gently urged him.

"From retribution from the Alcalde because of her links to me. I also need to protect her against bandits who would cause her harm, to use her against me." he replied.

Padre Benitez reached out and touched Zorro's black clad arm, "Tell me this, Zorro, in all these years, has there even been a time when you were unable to help someone or to stop a bandit from robbing someone?"

Zorro nodded, "Yes of course I have, I can't be everywhere - " he stopped as he realised what he had said.

Padre Benitez was pleased by the other man's admission, "Zorro, you are like every other man who wants to protect his family but you simply cannot guard them against everything. No one can. This obsession you have to protect your family, at all cost, is now interfering with the very nature of your relationship with the senorita. Is that protection really worth the cost of love, of marriage, of children?"

Zorro frowned, "I -"

The padre held up his hand to stop him, "Wait, there is one more question you need to ask yourself. What is it that you really want Zorro? Do you want to continue on as you have been doing for the last four or five years or do you want the love of a good woman?" the padre asked before he stood up and left the masked man alone with his thoughts.

Zorro took a deep breath and slowly released it; what was it that he truly wanted? Well that was easy, he mused to himself, he wanted Victoria. But in order to do that he had to give up a large part of himself, a part that he wasn't sure he could give up so easily; his identity. He had kept it secret for almost five years and it was a matter of pride to him that not only had no one had discovered the identity of Zorro but also pride in his ability to protect those he loved. He knew that both his father and Felipe could take care of themselves but his main concern was Victoria; she was a woman, alone in life, alone in the tavern at risk to any man who had things on his mind other than food or drink.

What was it the padre had said; obsessive need to protect at all cost?

Well, he couldn't argue that with that; it had cost him his father's respect of him as a man, his inability to do more around the ranch because of his commitment of bringing bandits to justice, which by rights he should have left that task to the lancers but his strong sense of right and wrong wouldn't allow him to stand by and do nothing. It had forced him to tell lies or at least exaggerate his indifference to what was happening to the people and it had also cost him the love of the woman insofar as she only saw one side of him and not the complete man that he was. He had delayed in having a family of his own; the men of his age group were already married, some with several children and yet he still remained unmarried.

He had become dissatisfied with the way his life was heading lately; it seemed as though there was no end in sight, no way out of the mess he had created for himself and for those he loved. Perhaps the cost had been too high after all.

He sighed as he thought about Victoria and her feelings for him, for both of him. To him, he couldn't separate his two halves so he was finding it hard to understand that she could see two men, not one. Which is what he wanted, wasn't it? To be seen as two separate men so no one would work out the identity of Zorro. It had obviously worked so well that the woman he loved could not tell the difference between them. He couldn't blame her for that, it was his fault but at the same time he wondered why she never worked it out; surely a woman in love would know the man she professed to love, in any disguise?

He shook his head; the padre was right, he had never given her the chance to know the real man, so it was asking a lot of her to think she could see anything other than the big brother he played to her. Perhaps it was time for him to open up to her, to show her the man under the mask and only then would his doubts of her love towards Diego de la Vega would disappear and if she still couldn't bring herself to love the real man after that then at least he would know and get on with his life; whatever that life may become.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Victoria had just placed Don Ricardo's lunch in front of him when she heard someone enter the tavern and she eagerly looked over towards the door hoping it would be Diego walking in but she was disappointed when it only turned out to be Senor Gomez and his wife.

"Victoria, are you expecting someone?" Pilar asked as they meet by the bar while Alicia went over to the newly arrived couple to take their orders.

Victoria frowned, "No, why?"

The other lady shrugged, "It's just the last two days, you've been watching that door like a hawk and it makes me wonder if you are waiting on someone to come."

"Oh, was I? I'm not expecting anyone in particular." Victoria replied somewhat anxiously as she gave the bar a quick wipe down with the cloth; she didn't realised how often she was checking the door for Diego to arrive. She would have to stop doing it otherwise someone else may notice.

Pilar smiled and shook her head, "If you say so." she teased her friend as she moved into the kitchen and wondered who Victoria was waiting for.

Victoria kept her head down as she rearranged the glasses under the bar and didn't look up when someone else entered the tavern and therefore she jumped when HIS voice came floating over to her.

"Buenos dias Victoria, how is your ankle today?" he asked with a warm smile as he came to a stop beside the bar.

She felt heat rise over her face and her heart beat faster in her chest, "My ankle is much better, I hardly limp at all now." she replied.

"That is good news for you and for Mendoza too no doubt." he said with a teasing gleam in his eyes.

She chuckled, "Yes, I think he was tired of me yelling at him for breaking my dishes." she replied.

"I hope he didn't break too many, did he?" he asked concernedly; he would be willing to pay to replace the dishes.

She shook her head, "No, not really, I have enough," she paused as she looked into his eyes and was surprised that he didn't look away from her as was his habit, instead he held her gaze and for several moments it was as though they were the only two people in the room but then Felipe came up to them and nudged his mentor, which broke the spell between them. "So, what can I get for you today, gentlemen?" she asked.

Diego held back a sigh at the interruption; perhaps it was good that Felipe had arrived at the time that he did for he hadn't intended to be quite so open, so fast around her. "Are you serving Carne Asada today?" he asked.

Victoria nodded, "Si, I am. Would that be for one or two?" she asked as she smiled at Felipe, who smiled shyly back.

"For two, thank you Victoria and I'll have coffee and Felipe will have some of your wonderful lemonade." he complimented her.

She beamed, "Of course Diego. I won't be long, please take a seat and I'll bring your meals over to you."

He nodded and smiled warmly at her once more before he turned and gazed around the tavern and saw an empty table near the far wall. He motioned to Felipe and together they walked over to the table, greeting friends they passed.

It didn't take long for Victoria to return with a tray holding their meals as well as their drinks, "Here you are gentlemen, hope you enjoy it." she said warmly as she placed the meals in front of them.

Diego smiled as he picked up his fork, "We always do Victoria." he said sincerely as Felipe nodded his agreement.

She felt a rush of pride at his words, "Gracias -" she stopped as another patron called out to her. "Please excuse me, gentlemen." she said as she left them to their meals while she attended to the needs of her other patrons.

Diego's eyes followed her as she walked briskly around the tavern attending to her patrons until his gaze caught the somewhat amused look on Felipe's face. He shook his head, "One day it will happen to you my young friend and then you won't be able to stop yourself from wanting to be in her company." he said with a smile before he turned his attention to his meal.

* * *

Half an hour later, when most of her patrons had finished their meals and left to go about their lives, Victoria crossed over to Diego's table to collect their empty plates, "Where's Felipe?" she asked curiously.

Diego smiled and shrugged, "He's gone outside, something about seeing a new horse that the garrison has." he replied, "Come, sit down, you've been busy today."

She nodded gratefully, "Gracias Diego, it has been busy." she admitted as she sat down opposite him. "Perhaps Felipe has really gone to see a young senorita." she suggested with a smile.

He chuckled and shook his head, "Then I would be the last person he would tell."

"Ah, so that is how it works, eh. Does that mean your father doesn't know anything about your youthful romances?" she teased him.

His blue eyes twinkled, "He most certainly does not, just as I am sure that he never told HIS father about his own youthful misdeeds." he replied, "Besides, when I was Felipe's age, I was away at the university in Spain."

"And far away from your father." she added with a grin.

"VERY far away." he said.

She debated as to whether to question him about those youthful misdeeds but decided that she didn't really want to know. "Um...Diego, can I ask you a favour?" she asked a little hesitantly.

Diego immediately dropped all his teasing and leant forward, "Of course you can, Victoria. What is it? Nothing has happened has it?" he asked worriedly.

She heart fluttered at his deep concern for her and she fell even more in love with him, "No, nothing like that. I was wondering if you have any books that I could borrow." she asked.

His eyebrow rose in surprise; this wasn't what he had been expecting and his voice showed it, "Books? I didn't think you were really that interested in books." he said as he inwardly cringed at his words; criticism wasn't the way to open up to her, he cursed himself.

She held the criticism in his voice and felt a rush of guilt sweep over her; it was true, but only up to a certain point. "It's not that I'm against books and reading, it's just that I never really have the time to do so. The tavern takes up a lot of my time, cleaning, cooking, dealing with my suppliers, working on my account books and when I have guests, I have to be around in case I'm needed."

He nodded, "Yes, I can see that it wouldn't leave you with a lot of free time." he said.

She nodded. "That's true but sometimes I'm too restless to rest during siesta and sometimes at night too, that I'm at a loss as to what to do. I've read what books that I do have and wished that I had something new to read. I know you have a lot of books and I was wondering if I could read some of yours."

He smiled, "Of course you can but I don't have a lot of romance books." he warned her.

She gazed at him and again was surprised when he didn't turn away from her, "Why do you think I would be interested in romance?" she asked.

"Well, isn't that what woman read about?" he asked curiously; this was turning into a rather interesting conversation, he mused to himself, he never really considered that women would like to read something other than romance.

She chuckled, "Yes but I also like to read other things too - " she was interrupted by another of her patrons. She sighed and gave Diego and apologetic look for she longed to spend more time with him, "Please excuse me." she said as she stood up.

He smiled reassuringly, "Go and see to your patrons, while I'll go and see what books I have for you." he said as he too stood up and pulled out several coins and them over to her. "The meal was wonderful as always." he said.

She beamed as she deftly took the money and slipped them into her pocket, "Gracias Diego." she replied before she turned her attention to her other patrons.

Diego walked out of the tavern, his thoughts turned which books he had that would be appropriate for Victoria and he suddenly found himself looking forward to selecting books for her; he knew that she would never have the same level of passion for books that he had but he didn't mind; as long as she understood it and the only way to do that was to share it with her.

* * *

The last of the tavern's patrons had left, the cleaning had been done and Victoria had sent Pilar and Alicia home for siesta and she herself was about to lock the main doors when she heard a horse outside in the deserted plaza. She looked outside and was surprised to see Diego dismounting.

"Diego, what are you doing back? Did you leave something behind?" she asked curiously.

He smiled as he reached into his saddlebag and pulled several books, "I just brought these for you." he replied as he crossed over to her.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Oh, Diego, you didn't have to make a special trip just to bring the books," she said as she stepped backwards to let him inside, "You could have brought them the next time you come into the pueblo." she added, hoping that she didn't sound to ungrateful; she wanted to make him feel at ease in her company and she wouldn't achieve that by criticising him all the time.

"I know but I wanted to." he said warmly as he entered the tavern.

She blushed a little at the enthusiasm in his voice; something she hadn't heard before, he was full of surprises today, she thought to herself. She smiled as she made her way over to the bar where he had placed the books on the top, "Three books?" she asked as she picked them up.

He nodded, "I didn't know what you would like and I thought if you didn't like one, then you could start another." he replied.

She smiled warmly at him, "That's very considerate of you Diego, thank you." she said before she looked down at the titles and read them aloud, "Gulliver's Travels, The Swiss Family Robinson and Don Quixote." she looked up at him and saw the eagerness in his expression and she couldn't help but respond. "This is truly wonderful Diego, thank you so much."

He felt a rush of happiness surge through him at her obvious delight in the books, "You are most welcome Victoria. Have you read them before?" he asked.

"I think I've read Don Quixote a long time ago but the other two I've only heard of. What are they about?"

"They're adventure stories. Shall we sit down and discuss them." he suggested, wanting to spend more time with the woman he had asked to be his wife.

She smiled, "I would like that," she said as she handed the books to him, "Here, take them. I still have some lemonade and I believe that I even have some flan left over too." she said with a twinkle in her eyes; she knew just how much he loved her flans.

He chuckled; she knew him too well, at least in regards to her desserts, "That sounds wonderful." he replied as he watched her slip through the curtains before he turned and moved over to his usual table with the best view of the front doors and sat down.

Victoria was gone only for several moments and she carried a tray with two glasses of lemonade and two plates of the flan and two spoons. "Here you go." she said as she removed the items from the tray before she sat opposite Diego.

He smiled warmly, "Gracias."

She smiled back, "So, tell me what these books are about, you said they were adventure stories."

He nodded as he took a sip of the sweet drink, "That's right, this one," he picked up one of the books, "Is about a family who is shipwrecked and have to learn to survive on an island together and this one," he picked up the other one, "Is a series of adventures of a man in his travels, including a visit to a land inhabited by little people." he said with a smile.

She raised an eyebrow but couldn't say anything as she had just taken a bit of her flan but after she swallowed, she asked, "Little people? You mean dwarfs?"

He shook his head and chuckled, "Much smaller." he confirmed before he took ate a spoonful of the flan.

"Smaller! Well that sounds interesting, I think." she commented as she looked down at the book she held in her hands. "I remember, as a child, going to Santa Barbara with my parents to get supplies for the tavern and one of their friends had a private library where they lent out books to people they knew. It was in their home and they had set aside a whole room and I recalled being amazed at all the books that lined the walls..."

"Was that Lozano's by any chance?" he asked, interrupting her.

She smiled, "Yes, it was. Have you been there too?" She should have realised that he would have known about Lozano's Library.

He grinned and nodded, "My mother often took me there when I was a boy. She was friends with Senora Lozano and I would spend hours just sitting in a large chair reading."

"I guess for you, that would have been heaven." she teased him.

He laughed, "It was, mother had to all but drag me away."

"I can see it now, Doña Felicidad dragging her son out of a room full of books."

Their laughter rang out in the empty tavern and when their eyes met and held once more, they each felt the full of their attraction; their love for the other but before either of them could say or do anything, a concerned voice called out.

"Senorita Victoria, is everything alright?"

Both Diego and Victoria jumped, somewhat guiltily, as Mendoza stepped through the open door.

"Yes, everything is fine, why do you ask Sergeant?" she asked as she stood up and moved away from the table.

Mendoza shrugged, "Your door was left open and you normally have it closed during siesta and I just wanted to check if you were alright...Ah Don Diego, what are you doing here?" he asked curiously when he saw the caballero sitting at the same table that the senorita had been.

Diego smiled as he too stood up, "I just brought some books for Victoria to read." he replied as he gestured to the books on the table.

Mendoza smiled as he saw three books, "Ah that was nice of you Don Diego..."

Victoria felt irritated by the Sergeant's interruption; it had ruined a very special moment between them, "Well Sergeant, it was good of you to come and check up on me but as you can see, I'm not in any danger and as it's getting late, I really need to close up." she said as she gestured for Mendoza to leave.

Mendoza nodded, "Yes of course senorita, I won't keep you from your rest." he said as he turned around and walked towards the door.

"I must be going too Victoria." Diego said as he followed the Sergeant to the door.

"You don't have to go, Diego, you can stay longer." Victoria said softly, "I enjoyed our talk."

He smiled, "So did I but I must go." he replied as he fought down the urge to kiss her.

She gazed into his eyes and now that she knew who he was, she could see his love for her and wondered how she could have never seen it before; it was there for her to see. She had been so blind not to see what was before her. But all she did was nod her head, "When do you need the books back?" she asked, trying to get him to linger longer with her.

"Take your time, there's no rush." he replied as he stepped out of the door. "Once you have finished those, you can always come over to the hacienda to select some more." he offered as he walked down the steps to where his horse was tethered.

She smiled warmly, "I might just take you up on that offer Diego."

He smiled back as he mounted Esperanza, "You do know that you can come out to the hacienda at anytime, you don't need an invitation." he said seriously as he gazed down at her.

She nodded, "I know," she replied, "Thank you again for the books."

"You're most welcome Victoria, adios." he said with a warm smile before he tugged on the reins and urged Esperanza out of the plaza.

* * *

**A/N**. I know I said that this was only a 3 chapter story but it seemed that Diego and Victoria wanted to have a little chat in the tavern before I can get to the end of it :) There's one more chapter to come.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Two days later the citizens of pueblo were crowded inside the small Mission Chapel listening to Father Benitez give his Sunday Mass sermon on the meaning of the Good Samaritan. Diego was sitting beside his father and Felipe in the second row but he wasn't paying much attention to the priest's words, instead his thoughts were focused on Victoria and the wonderful but rather short time they had spent together discussing books; she had been genuinely interested in him, in his books. Father Benitez was right; he needed to open up to her in order to move their relationship forward. He was cautious by nature, preferring to think first before taking action and that caution made him wary of showing his true self in fear of being discovered. But he was going to change all that.

Diego wasn't the only one who wasn't focusing on the padre's lesson on mercy and charity.

Victoria couldn't seem to keep her eyes off Diego's broad back and shoulders as she sat two rows behind and off to the left of him. She had thoroughly enjoyed their little talk the other day and she knew that he had too; it was as though he had dropped his mask of indifference that he seemed to wear most of the time and allowed her see not only his sense of enjoyment he received from reading books but he also gave her a small insight into his childhood and his mother. The good padre was right; there were many different sides to a man but especially this man and she wanted to find out more, wanted to see what else there was to know.

The Mass closed with final prayers and as the citizens rose from their seat and made their way slowly outside, Father Benitez crossed over to the de la Vegas, "Don Diego, may I have your assistance for a moment outside in the garden." he asked the younger man with a friendly smile on his face.

"Of course, padre. What is it that you need?" Diego asked as he moved aside to allow others to pass.

"Nothing serious but I need someone of your height to help me reach a dead branch. If you just go out the side door, I'll join you once I've seen to our people and then I'll show you where it is." Padre said.

Diego nodded, "Of course, padre." he replied as he made his way towards the side door and outside to wait for the priest.

Victoria lost sight of Diego as everyone stood to make their way to the aisles, so she drifted slowly along with the others towards the doors knowing that she would eventually see Diego outside standing by his father and Felipe.

"Senorita Escalante," the padre called out, "Senorita Escalante."

She heard her name being called out and she turned her head to see the good padre nearby, "I'm sorry padre, I didn't hear you." she said apologetically as she allowed room for several people behind her to continue walking down the aisle.

He smiled, "Yes, you seemed to be deep in thought." he said with amusement in his voice.

She flushed a little, not wanting him to know that she barely listened to his sermon, "Is there anything I can help you with, padre?" she asked.

He nodded, "As a matter of fact there is. Please come with me." he said as he turned and walked back up the aisle.

Victoria stared at the back of their priest in confusion; what could she do that he needed her help at the other end of the chapel but she shrugged and followed him.

Diego was standing in the small garden with a slight frown on his face; he had checked the number of trees and small shrubs but he could not find any dead branches that needed removing and he was wondering what Father Benitez wanted from him and whether Zorro needed to make an appearance.

He turned around as he heard the side door open and saw the priest walk out of the chapel, "Padre, what is..." he stopped when he saw Victoria emerge from the chapel behind the older man.

Victoria was just as surprised to see Diego standing in the garden as she was; she didn't know what to expect when she followed Father Benitez but she certainly wasn't expecting to see Diego. She looked between the two men and felt a strange urge to giggle as she began to understand what the padre was up to but she managed to force it down.

Diego frowned deepened; just what was the priest up to, "There's no branch needed for removal is there?" he asked, knowing full well there wasn't.

Padre Benitez shook his head, "No there isn't," he replied, "I thought it's a wonderful day to reveal within God's bounty." he added.

Diego flicked a nervous glance to Victoria but she had moved over to the bench and was sitting with her head bowed. He turned his attention back the older man, "Don't you mean revel in God's bounty, padre?" he asked casually.

The padre raised an eyebrow, "Of course, that's what I meant my son, what else could I mean?" he asked with a small smile tugging on his lips, "Please excuse me, Don Diego, Senorita Escalante, I need to get back." he said before he turned and walked back inside, leaving them alone.

Diego shook his head in disbelief; he swore he saw the good padre give him a small wink before he left. It wasn't the first time he suspected that Father Benitez knew about his other life but now he was absolutely certain that the older man knew, especially when he had gone to the trouble of arranging this obvious meeting between himself and Victoria as well as his misspoken word; Father Benitez wasn't known for making mistakes like that.

"He is a cunning devil, isn't he?" Victoria said with amusement clearing showing in her voice. Of all the ways for the secret to be revealed, she never expected Father Benitez to play matchmaker between them. It was as though he knew who Diego was and that they needed someone to give them a gentle but firm push to finally come together.

Diego turned to find Victoria smiling broadly at him and that struck him as peculiar; he thought that she would be at least curious as to why Father Benitez had left them alone but she was beaming at him instead. Did that mean she understood what the padre had done? But that would mean that she had to know the secret in order to understand why the padre had brought them together in the garden and as he held her eyes with his, he discovered the truth.

"You know." he said a little hoarsely as he moved over and sat down beside her.

She turned to face him, "Yes, Diego, I know." she confirmed quietly.

His heart pounded in his chest at being discovered, "But how? When? I mean you didn't know when I asked..." he stopped.

She smiled softly, "...when you asked me to marry you. No, I didn't know then. It was several days later when I visited the padre for some advice," she paused to gather her thoughts, "Once the excitement of being engaged was over, I started to have doubts about your love for me because you wouldn't unmask when you proposed - "

"Oh Victoria, you shouldn't doubt my love; you've always had it." he said as he reached out and took her hand in his.

She nodded, "I know but I couldn't help it. I didn't understand your fears at all and I needed to talk to someone about it. The padre helped me to open my eyes to a lot of things and I now understand your fears of me not liking, let alone loving the man under the mask. I have done and said some terrible things about your interests as though it was something less than what my ideal man should be doing. I am sorry for hurting you like that, I would never intentionally hurt you." she said, her voice quivering.

He squeezed her hand in comfort, "I know you wouldn't Victoria," he replied, his own voice none to steady, "The padre opened my eyes to that." he added.

"You visited the padre too?" she asked with some amusement in her voice.

"Well, actually Zorro did," he said with a smile before he became serious once more, "He helped me to see that it was my own actions that caused you to think less of me, that I never allowed you to see the man under the mask." he sighed and shook his head, "I only did that to protect you." he said.

She nodded, "I know you did but Diego you must know that you can't protect me all the time, you can't be everywhere." she said gently.

"That's something else the padre made me see." he said wryly.

She smiled softly, "Father Benitez is a smart man." she commented.

He smiled back, "He certainly is."

They were silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

"So, what now?" he asked carefully, wondering what was going through her mind.

She squeezed his hand, "There is something I do want," she said quietly, "I want to know who you are. I've only seen you and Zorro as two separate men but now I want to know who the real Diego de la Vega is. I want to know the man under the mask. Does that make sense?"

He nodded, "Actually it does." he replied and then he smiled, "Is this you way of asking for a courtship." he said with a teasing gleam in his blue eyes.

She chuckled as she felt heat rise over her face at her forwardness, "Perhaps it is. I wouldn't say no to a courtship."

"Neither would I." he said with a warm smile but then it faded as he thought of the consequences that a courtship would bring. "Do you understand that I still need to be Zorro and at the same time I still need to be seen as the person that I am to the citizens and especially to de Soto. And that means acting indifferent to the plights of our people. Can you accept the...slights to my name because of that?"

She slowly let out her breath and nodded, "Yes, I know that Zorro is still needed," she replied, "And I can't deny that it will be hard to ignore the...insults to you but as long as we are together, I can accept it." she replied.

He nodded, "I won't be easy for either of us." he said as he reached over and tucked several strands of her hair behind her ear, "So, Senorita Escalante, may I have the honour of courting you?" he asked huskily as he gazed into her soft brown eyes.

She sighed happily as she leant into caress, "Yes Senor de la Vega, you may court me." she replied as she felt herself drawn into his blue eyes. She didn't know if she leant towards him or if he leant towards her or perhaps they both did but it didn't matter who made the initial move as their lips joined together in the first kiss without the barrier of the mask; a kiss that was slow and tender.

"I love you Victoria," he whispered against her soft lips.

"I love you too Diego," she replied as she wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him closer.

But as their lips met for a second and more passionate kiss, the side door of the chapel opened and Father Benitez emerged from inside, "I see you are both enjoying God's beautiful bounty in my garden." he said with amusement in his voice. He was pleased that his plan had worked; all they needed was a gentle push but at the same time he couldn't allow their passion for each other to overcome their good sense.

Both Diego and Victoria jumped apart at the sound of his voice and felt their faces burn at being caught by the priest.

"Yes, we are enjoying the garden, padre." Diego confirmed with a wicked grin on his face as he stood up and held out a hand to Victoria.

She shook her head as she took his hand and allowed him to help her stand, ""It's a beautiful garden." she commented.

"It is, isn't it," Father Benitez replied, "I'm sorry to disturb you but your father was looking for you, Don Diego." he said.

Diego nodded, "We're coming padre." he replied as he and Victoria started walking towards the door.

Father Benitez nodded and re-entered the chapel, giving them a moment more to be alone.

When Diego and Victoria reached the door, they stopped and gazed at each other.

"We're in this together Diego." she said softly.

He nodded as he leant down and gave her one last soft, lingering kiss to her lips, "Yes, together, forever." he replied before they entered the chapel to begin a new chapter in their lives.

* * *

The End.

A/N - I hope you enjoyed this short story :)


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